By Jennifer Paxton, The Catholic University of America
Rome was rocked by repeated political upheavals and military threats on its borders, and during the middle of the third century, the empire literally broke apart into three pieces. Despite its distance from Rome, Britain was at many times at the center stage during this ‘third-century crisis’, and the fragmentation of the empire had a direct impact on the integrity of Britain’s defenses against the barbarian enemies.
Who Were the Barbarians?
The most important barbarians were the residents of the coastal regions of northwestern Europe. Moving north from Roman Gaul, there were the Frisians, mostly in what is Belgium and the Netherlands. Continuing north and east along the coast into today’s Germany, we find the Saxons, and a bit further east, the Angles, whose territory extended north into what is now Denmark.
These were the most important groups that sent settlers to Britain. They would have all spoken closely related dialects of the western branch of the Germanic family of languages, and it is likely that these groups would have been able to communicate with each other.
There is another group of people that needs to be introduced, not because they settled in Britain in large numbers, but because they ended up dominating northwestern Europe after the fall of Rome, namely, the Franks.
During the later 4th century, the Franks had begun infiltrating northern Gaul, and over the course of the 5th century, they slowly but surely hollowed out the Roman administration in Gaul, until, in 486, the last Roman imperial official, Syagrius, was defeated at the Battle of Soissons by Clovis, the first acknowledged king of the Franks.
This article comes directly from content in the video series England: From the Fall of Rome to the Norman Conquest. Watch it now, on Wondrium.
A Threat to the Romans
There is some controversy over exactly how the Roman government in Britain responded to the threat from northwestern Europe, but the Saxon Shore played an increasingly important role in the defensive strategy of the island, with forts built along the southeast coast.
Most of the time, the forts were adequate for repelling small nuisance raids, but the so-called ‘barbarian conspiracy’ in 367 represented one of the most serious threats to Roman rule. In that year, Britain was attacked virtually simultaneously by several barbarian peoples: the Scotti from Ireland, the Picts from Scotland, and the Attacotti, the Franks, and the Saxons from northwestern Europe.
It is hard to grasp exactly how these various tribes were able to coordinate their activities, but somehow, they must have done so, because the defensive resources even of the heavily militarized province of Britain were overwhelmed. To make matters worse, the disorder occasioned by the raids led many Roman soldiers to desert and join in the plundering.
The savior of Roman Britain at the time of the barbarian conspiracy was the father of the future Roman emperor Theodosius the Great, also named Theodosius, who arrived in 368 and was able to stabilize the situation.
Things Getting Out of Control
However, fifteen years later, when the Roman Empire was still reeling from the disastrous defeat and death of the eastern emperor Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378, a Roman general named Magnus Maximus rebelled against Emperor Gratian and took several legions with him out of Britain to the continent to pursue his ultimately unsuccessful claim to the imperial throne. He was never replaced with a commander of equivalent stature.
Progressively, Britain was being denuded of its military strength and its borders were becoming more porous. And as the situation for the Roman administration became increasingly desperate, Britain slipped farther and farther down on the priority list.
At the very end of the year 406, a motley barbarian horde of Franks, Burgundians, and Vandals took advantage of an exceptionally cold winter, crossed the frozen Rhine, and rampaged throughout Gaul. In response, a Roman general in Britain, named Constantius, was raised to the purple as Constantine III and departed for Gaul, stripping the province of its legions in order to respond to the Frankish threat.
The Roman Withdrawal from Britain
In 410, the leaders of the Romano-British community, tired of being left defenseless, expelled the remaining officials of this usurping emperor. They then appealed directly to Emperor Honorius for help. They were initially met with silence. Understandable perhaps, as Rome had been sacked that year by the Visigoths.
The following year, in 411, we have a curious text called the Rescript of Honorius, in which the emperor told the cities of Britain to look to their own defenses. There is some dispute about whether this document refers to Roman Britain or to the cities of Bruttium, in southern Italy.
If it did apply to Britain, then it was the last official communication that we know of between Britain and the Roman Empire. But regardless, we can be sure that the Roman Empire was disconnected from Britain from this point on, and it must have been rough.
Common Questions about the Barbarian Conspiracy and the Roman Empire
The ‘barbarian conspiracy‘ in 367 represented one of the most serious threats to Roman rule. In that year, Britain was attacked virtually simultaneously by several barbarian peoples: the Scotti from Ireland, the Picts from Scotland, and the Attacotti, the Franks, and the Saxons from northwestern Europe.
The savior of Roman Britain at the time of the barbarian conspiracy was the father of the future Roman emperor Theodosius the Great, also named Theodosius, who arrived in 368 and was able to stabilize the situation.
Magnus Maximus was a Roman general who had rebelled against Emperor Gratian and taken several legions with him out of Britain to the continent to pursue his ultimately unsuccessful claim to the imperial throne.
